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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666770">false hope</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/geckointhegarbage/pseuds/geckointhegarbage'>geckointhegarbage</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Exes to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Oneshot, knight!keith, no hate to allura !!!, prince!lance, she is very pretty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:42:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/geckointhegarbage/pseuds/geckointhegarbage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"The following few years pass the same way: nightly escapes to the lake followed by talking and laughter and each other. Lance let himself be himself and Keith finally felt like there was someone who cared deeply for him. However, on the worst of days, Keith had to remind himself that this couldn’t last. Marriage was deeply important for the royal family, especially for Lance as he was next in line for the throne. Lance danced with a few foreign princesses at balls over time, but none of the dances went well enough for there to be another meeting between the two. With the more time that passed, the more free Lance seemed to feel, but the more anxious Keith became. The sand was only going to run through the hourglass for so long."</p><p>Lance is the crown prince, seeing Keith in secret. Keith knew this couldn't last. </p><p>(inspired by driver's license by olivia rodrigo)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>false hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>And I know we weren't perfect</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But I've never felt this way for no one</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And I just can't imagine</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How you could be so okay now that I'm gone?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street</span>
  </em>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <span>Keith saw it coming, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance is the crown prince, after all. He had responsibilities and duties that were important to not just him, but the whole kingdom. His time sneaking around the castle halls and running away to the willow tree in the night would only last so long. Lance would rant and rave about all the things he would get to do when he was crowned, and Keith would listen. That’s all Keith could do, anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their escapades were always in the dark of night. Keith, stationed outside Lance’s chambers, would wait for the ornate door to open and Lance to poke out his head full of curly brown hair. Lance would then grab his hand and drag him inside, so that they could climb down the cobbled walls of the palace to the soft grasses. From there, they’d have to keep their voices hushed until they made it into the great expanses of the wood. Keith would always watch fondly as Lance picked a few of the wildflowers that grew along the haphazardly made trail and placed them behind his ears, or pocket them to give to his sisters later. Several times, he has tried to stick a few in Keith’s hair. The only time Keith had let him was when they were seated by the lake’s shore, the moon reflecting in the deep glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I was a knight,” Lance had said to him, his head resting on Keith’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I wish I was a prince,” Keith replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t,” Lance said, dragging his fingers through the coarse sand. “I have to spend my life preparing for the burden of the crown. I think you and Hunk have been my only friends. I’m not in any way confident that I can win a war, much less fight in one, you have seen me in training, and I don’t even know what I will do when it comes to-” Lance stops himself, reassessing his words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marriage?” Keith whispers. He hears Lance take in a deep breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Marriage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith closes his eyes for a moment, focusing on the chirping of the crickets and the </span>
  <em>
    <span>swish </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the willow tree in the gentle night breeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be alright,” is all Keith can muster. He can’t find any other words to comfort Lance, though he racks his brain for more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know that,” Lance retorts easily. “I could be the worst king this kingdom has ever seen. We could lose the war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we won’t. Because you are the smartest, most capable person I have ever met.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>There we go</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The words Keith had been searching for surge into his mind like a tidal wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There isn’t a single challenge you haven’t taken on and defeated. When you were younger, did you quit when you couldn’t hit the target with your crossbow? No! You preserved with Shiro, and now you hit the bullseye every time. Your writings are beautiful, they paint a whole world on a page. Your words are life changing, Lance. You are incredible, and you’ll make an incredible king.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith takes a shaky breath after finishing speaking. He looks down at his hands, both clenched into fists. He slowly unclenches them, letting them drop open in his lap. Keith awaits Lance’s response, nearly terrified at what he may say, though Keith knows there is nothing negative Lance can say about himself that Keith won’t prove wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of answering with words, Lance answers with his lips. Keith doesn’t mind. The sun rises before they make it back to the castle, but neither of them care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The following few years pass the same way: nightly escapes to the lake followed by talking and laughter and each other. Lance let himself be himself and Keith finally felt like there was someone who cared deeply for him. However, on the worst of days, Keith had to remind himself that this couldn’t last. Marriage was deeply important for the royal family, especially for Lance as he was next in line for the throne. Lance danced with a few foreign princesses at balls over time, but none of the dances went well enough for there to be another meeting between the two. With the more time that passed, the more free Lance seemed to feel, but the more anxious Keith became. The sand was only going to run through the hourglass for so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Lance’s father was tragically killed in a battle, the shock nearly broke him. The loud prince who would race his knights on hunting trips was now reserved, speaking only when spoken to and without a trace of a grin on his face. Any of Keith’s attempts to reach out and comfort him were declined. Keith pushed away a fact that this was the beginning of the end. He buried it deep down and prayed that maybe he could get a little more time with him. When he woke up to the news that Lance had removed him from his royal guard, he couldn’t do anything but hand his deep red cloak back to Shiro, the head of the palace guard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His removal from Lance’s guard told him all that he needed to know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The days following were quiet and somber. The King was buried in the family tomb. Many sobbed at his funeral, including Keith. He can’t deny that the man was wise and kind. He watched Lance from across the service as he watched his father be carried down into the depths of the Earth. The tears dripping down his face only made his eyes a deeper shade of blue. Lance looks up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since before the King’s death. His gaze isn’t loving and fond as it used to be. Instead it’s mournful, as if Keith is the one who is dead. Keith opens his mouth, words trying to claw their way out of his throat, but Lance looks away before he can do so much as inhale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next time Keith sees Lance is three weeks later, at a ball. The Queen was quick to organize an event after her husband’s death, knowing that Lance is to be crowned in three months time. As most nobles know, it will appear that the kingdom is much stronger if the crown prince ascends the throne with a wife by his side, ensuring that heirs will be born to further secure the throne for the royal family. As such, plenty of young women were invited to the giant golden ballroom of the castle to meet the soon to be king. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Keith was trying his best not to crack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith stands straight up against the walls of the ballroom as the masses drink and dance and laugh. His grip on his sword is so tight the handle may break in his grip. All he can do during the festivities is watch Lance, the same man who told him that he loved him under the willow tree, kiss the hands of young ladies and twirl them around the ballroom. Not once does Lance look his way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One princess in particular seems to entrance him. Princess Allura of Altea, a very powerful kingdom in the North, curtsies politely to him. He takes her gloved hand and kisses the top of it, saying something Keith cannot hear over the music. Whatever it was made her laugh. He continues to say a string of what seems to be compliments at her while she takes them with a soft pink blush. Finally, Lance takes her hand and leads her to the dancefloor, where they glide over the marble like they are made of air. Her soft pink dress shimmers with each spin they do, and every step she takes leaves what could be a trail of fairy dust in the air. The whole world feels like it stops spinning in order for everyone to watch them smile and dance, held in each other’s arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith can feel the tear drip down his chin. He is quick to wipe away the others that soon follow, glad for the entrancing beauty that is Lance that keeps the attention off of his ex-knight, ex-something, in the back of the golden ballroom. Before they can bow to each other at the end of the dance, Keith takes off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has had a habit of running away. When he was in the streets, he would never stay in one place long. When the baker tried to take him in, he left. When the seamstress tried to give him a place to sleep, he ran. It was just better to always be on his feet. But when he was seen by the boy prince in the street and invited for tea, he didn’t run. Keith could never figure out why he didn’t make the choice to leave then. The prince’s guards had even urged him to leave the street urchin alone, to let him run along. But the boy prince insisted that Keith join him in the castle for a cup of tea and some bread. And for the first time in Keith’s life, he listened. Keith debates whether or not this was the best or worst choice he has ever made. Maybe it is somehow both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith stands at the edge of the ballroom’s empty balcony, gazing into the forest he knows like the back of his hand. He could run away now, if he so chooses. Climb down the cobblestone wall and disappear without a word. It’s not like anyone in the castle would look for him now that he doesn’t have the prestigious position in Lance’s royal guard. This would be the ultimate solution to Keith’s problem. Maybe with time, he can find a new place in the kingdom, the countryside perhaps. Maybe with time, he can forget. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith hoists himself up onto the thick stone railing, easily walking over to the cobblestone exterior. He places his hand onto the cold rock and tests it to ensure it can hold his wait. It can. But he doesn’t move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart beats in his chest like a thousand galloping horses. This is it. The solution. He can leave Lance and heartbreak and pain and Lance and love and Lance behind. Everything can go away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith takes his hand off the cold stone and jumps back onto the balcony, defeated. The weakest part of him still holds onto the sweet nothings and poems and private declarations and love letters. Until he can truly detach himself from Lance, he can’t leave the castle, as badly as he yearns to. For the first time, Keith has a tether.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith returns to his station and remains there for the rest of the night. His absence went unnoticed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night before Allura and Lance’s wedding day, Keith makes his final escape to the lake. The water is still, as well as the leaves of the willow tree. There is no night breeze tonight. Keith places his lantern at the base of the willow tree, lowering himself to the ground and sitting beside it. He watches the water for a few moments, waiting for any sort of movement in the liquid. When nothing happens, he closes his eyes. This is it. Anything that Lance wanted to say to him he would have by now. The quick glances Keith got of him from around the castle was all he was going to get from here on out. All Keith can hope now is that Lance is happy. He hopes that Allura will be good to him, though he is certain she will be. Her reputation precedes her, and she is one of the kindest people Keith has ever witnessed. She will make a marvelous and well loved queen. There is no better queen to be at Lance’s side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Keith opens his eyes, the willow tree’s leaves are as still as ever. He moves to get himself in a more comfortable sitting position, but his hand breaks through a thin barrier of leaves into a small hole in the tree. Keith pulls it back quickly, but peers inside the hole. A piece of paper is folded inside, with the kingdom’s seal. With trembling hands, Keith pulls out the paper and breaks the seal. His eyes move quickly over the scribbled words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My dearest,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My sincerest apologies for the methods in which I have broken your heart. I never wished this upon you, or wished for this pain to be inflicted on your being. I wanted us to be happy, but with the current circumstances, you must understand that we no longer have that option in this kingdom. My heart still yearns for you though it can’t have you in this place. I can only pray that you feel the same and find this letter in a timely manner. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I cannot dream of letting you go. I don’t think a life without you in it is one that I want to live. My mother’s insistence on a lover has been intense, and my sisters’ teasing hasn’t been of much assistance either. I have made a decision without their knowledge that I can only hope is something you would agree on. You have always spoken of leaving the kingdom and finding a place new. A place where we can be together, without burden. I hope you follow what I am about to propose. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The next in my line is M, who has agreed with me on this plan. M is willing to take my burden in my absence, freeing me to go wherever I so choose, and with whomever I so choose. Of course, I choose my one and only love. So I ask you, shall we run away together?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It is a silly thought, I understand, though I must insist that you at least consider the idea. I never wanted the burden to begin with, even in my youth. M is more than ready to take on the burden. My fiancée has also agreed to this plan, as she intends to run away with her own love. The only thing I have been sure of in life is loving you and keeping you with me for the rest of my days. So please, I beg, will you meet me under the willow the day before I exchange rings with someone I have never loved? I will await a response in the same tree pocket, or will wait under the shade of the willow in the night for you. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-L</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Keith reads the words over and over again, trying to comprehend exactly what he is reading. Lance clearly wrote this letter some time ago, and is inviting him to run away? Keith quickly realizes that the night Lance is referencing is upon him. Lance still loves him. And Lance wants to leave with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The soft kiss of the night breeze returns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leaves crunch behind the tree as footsteps hurriedly round the tree. Keith looks up just as Lance, a large satchel at his waist and curly hair mussed, is bathed in the gentle yellow and orange glow of his lantern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance smiles widely for the first time in months. It takes Keith’s breath away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Lance breathes, frozen in place. “So you got my letter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith takes a few gulps of air. “Yes. Just now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance raises an eyebrow, his dimples becoming more apparent as the two lanterns illuminate his face. “Wow. Well, I’m glad you came here tonight then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance awkwardly puts down his lantern beside Keith’s and sits down beside him. “So, um. Did you get a chance to decide-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to run away with you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith’s words move out of him faster than his lips can keep up. Lance’s smile grows impossibly wider. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really do? Are you certain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith, feeling a sudden boldness, takes Lance’s hands in his, gently massaging his thumbs over Lance’s knuckles. “You are all I have thought about these past months. When I was taken off your guard, I lost a part of me. I miss seeing you smile every day. I miss hearing your laugh. I miss spending time with you. I want a life with you, and I think I have wanted that for a long time. If you had asked me this question five years ago I would have said yes. If you had asked me this question five years from now, the answer would have still been yes. I will love you for the rest of my life, Lance, and as such can forgive you for the events of the previous months. I just want to be with you, and knowing that you want to be with me too is my greatest wish granted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance listens to him in awe, unbelievably smitten by his words. “Wow,” he gasps after Keith finishes. “I thought I was the writer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith laughs, booming and genuine. “Shut up,” he says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lance doesn’t need to say the come back to that for Keith to know what he wants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keith leans in just as Lance does, and they share the first kiss that marks the rest of their lives. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only thing Hunk and Shiro find the following morning of their stop is Lance’s crown. Eventually, they find a letter to the Queen addressing what happened to Lance in Lance’s chambers. The last few lines read, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I will return one day, when my love and I have seen all that we can, living our lives to the fullest. Marco will make an excellent king, better than I would have ever been. I love you all, see you soon.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HELLO IT HAS BEEN A WHILE</p><p>klance has just got me in a chokehold recently. also driver's license by olivia rodrigo made me think of an au where keith and lance are exes and keith is singing about how much he misses lance. so i combined that with my recent obsession with medieval shit to make this. i didn't proofread this so i am so sorry if there are any terrible spelling mistakes. i also wrote this in one go. i apologize again. </p><p>thanks for reading !!! comments and kudos are always appreciated &lt;3</p><p>follow me on twitter !!!<br/>https://twitter.com/geckointhetrash</p></blockquote></div></div>
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